Meet the Finalists and Winner of the 2016 PiE Alumni Scholarship!

Written by Jessica Wong on May 1, 2016

The winners of the 2016 PiE Alumni Scholarship have been announced! For the third annual scholarship, we were excited to increase the award amount to $2000. We received a record number of applications from many qualified students. Meet the four exceptional finalists and the winner of this year’s award.

Eduardo Navarro (Lionel Wilson High School)

Eduardo Navarro is the winner of the 2016 PiE Alumni Scholarship. His energy and perseverance astound us. Eduardo was a lead software engineer for his PiE team for three years. His outstanding efforts were recognized when his team won the Software and Sensors award in the 2015 PiE Competition. This experience inspired him to participate in STEM outreach. Working with his teacher, he raised $10,000 to start a robotics program for middle school students.

Eduardo will be joining the California Maritime Academy in the field of Mechanical Engineering. He will also be taking part in the Air Force ROTC, where he hopes to achieve his lifelong goal of flying for the Air Force.

Eduardo’s exceptional academic achievements, dedication to engineering, leadership skills, and service to the community exemplify the spirit of PiE.

Taylor Lander (San Lorenzo High School)

Taylor is a well-rounded individual who has grown socially, academically and personally. We were impressed by her perseverance in the face of adversity. She mentors elementary school students, teaching them to maintain an organic garden and eat healthily. She has enormous personal drive and wants to channel her interests towards bettering the environment. She intends to accomplish this by studying Civil Engineering with an emphasis on environmental engineering at UC Davis.

Wesley Sosa (San Lorenzo High School)

Wesley’s personal and academic growth has been incredible to hear about. He was a shy student after arriving from the Philippines his freshman year, but eventually found his voice and rose to the top of his senior class. He is as creative as he is technically skilled, participating in both software internships and poetry slams. Wesley will attend UC Davis next fall to study Computer Science.

Justeen Hipolito (Middle College High School)

Justeen is an academic superstar. Taking college courses are a normal part of her high school life. Her long commitment to STEM is evident: at Middle College, she is part of many STEM programs, from PiE to MESA. By exploring the field of mechanical engineering, she hopes to be a role model for young women and find ways to help typhoon-ravaged areas of her homeland in the Philippines. Justeen will be studying Mechanical Engineering at UCLA next fall.

Antonio Contreras (San Lorenzo High School)

An independent, mature student, Antonio stands out as a strong team leader for his school’s PiE team. Antonio has participated in PiE for three years, after taking initiative to start a computer science club at school. Last summer, he worked at a 3D printing company where he went above and beyond his regular responsibilities, even building his own 3D printer. Antonio plans to study Electrical Engineering at UC Riverside.